Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said 2008 will be a crucial year for the resolution of the long-standing conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh the country faces with Armenia.
"This year we will clearly see where we are -- whether or not solving the problem in peace is possible. After that we will pass our decisions," the head of state told a government meeting on the outcomes of 2007 on Friday.
The president once again made it clear that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity has never been and will not be bargained upon. "The independence of Upper Garabagh in any shape or form will not be a subject of discussion in 10, 15 or 100 years."
President Aliyev said that at times the Armenian government makes non-serious and false statements designated for the local public. "These utterances are absolutely baseless. The gist of peace talks is [Armenian] withdrawal from all the occupied Azerbaijani territories - Aghdam, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Jabrayil, Gubadly, Kalbajar and Lachin. I enumerated all the districts on purpose so that false statements targeting political ends will not sound in Armenia tomorrow. Negotiations dwell upon the withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces from all of them and the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to Upper Garabagh, to Shusha. This is reality," Aliyev said.
He emphasized that a criminal military regime rules in the self-styled Upper Garabagh republic. "This is a region not subject to any international monitoring, and no one can track down what goes on there, which weapons are stored or terrorist forces based, and how drugs are grown. This is a black stain within Europe."
In the meantime, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering the peace process, Matthew Bryza, said progress had been achieved in the negotiating process.
"A year and a half ago, talks looked stalled. We then asked the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents to look through the basic principles outlined by the co-chairmen and to improve them, which was done," Bryza told Russian Ekho Moskvi radio. "The presidents have come very close to reaching a gentlemanly, verbal agreement on these principles that could shape up the frames of a peace accord. Our achievement is that we have brought the sides close to a compromise…We are now approaching key issues concerning displaced persons as well as ensuring security, which is pivotal for the Armenian side."
Upper Garabagh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, was occupied by Armenia in the early 1990s, along with seven other Azerbaijani districts, after large-scale hostilities that killed up to 30,000 people and forced a million Azeris out of their homes. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks have been fruitless so far.